In the case of forming a natural color transfer image using dye-providing compounds capable of releasing or forming diffusible dyes as a result of the development of silver halide, a photographic element having three combinations different in color sensitivity composed of dye-providing compounds and photosensitive silver halide emulsion layers which are in complementary color relationships with the compounds is usually used, as described, e.g., in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 33826/73 (the term "OPI" as used herein refers to a "published unexamined Japanese patent application").
However, the aforesaid photographic element frequently encounters a problem in that diffusible dyes released or formed from the dye-providing compounds under an alkaline condition tends to diffuse into the adjacent silver halide emulsion layers to restrain the development of silver halide which should be developed. In particular, the restraining phenomenon is severe when the silver halide emulsion is a direct positive silver halide emulsion and is fog-developed in the presence of a fogging agent (nucleating agent).
The development restraining problem could be solved by forming an isolating layer containing a solid pigment and a hydrophilic colloid between a silver halide photographic emulsion layer and a layer containing a dye-providing compound which is in a complementary color relationship with the photographic emulsion layer, as described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 17435/83.
However, the formation of the isolating layer composed of a solid pigment and a hydrophilic colloid causes a new problem, in that the sensitivity varies greatly depending upon the temperature of the processing with an alkaline processing liquid, and a need exists to solve this problem.